The Last Man
by naiad8
Summary: He tried to leave. To let her have the life she should. But a curse brings him back to face his fears. Cedric/Older Sofia


Authors Notes:

I have perfectly good fanfics in progress in Labyrinth and Doctor Who and Sanctuary. Why oh why has Cedfia taken over my brain! And there's another one brewing that insists on being written after this one.

I have truly turned into a pervy old lady.

Rated T, but please, all children flee in terror. Sofia is 20! 20 remember!

He was insane. Truly, unrepentantly mad. He'd left her, left the kingdom behind, he'd accepted that his life would be one of children's magic shows and minor spell craft. He'd lived on crusts of bread and slept in straw. Yes, he'd helped overturn a tyrant in Pelicia and rescued that kidnapped prince in Outer Neru, but most of the time he was still just Magic Rick, that buffoon who entertained children.

He was the last man who should be climbing the steps to this tower, thinking he could rescue the most beautiful, perfect, annoyingly cheerful princess in the world. When he'd first heard that Sofia had been struck by Aurora's Curse he'd been terrified. As long as he was far away, he always thought he could imagine her a sweet child of eight, one who had rescued him from his own dark imaginings and made him a better man. He could forget the beautiful eighteen year old who he dreamt about touching and kissing in completely inappropriate ways. The eighteen year old who had cornered him in his workshop one evening and pressed her rosebud lips against his, offering him everything he'd secretly longed for since she'd turned sixteen. He'd pushed her away, terrified for his life, and knowing that she was going to try and throw away her life on him, a confirmed thirty three year old bachelor who in no way deserved the most wonderful woman in creation.

He'd left the kingdom the next morning, resigning by letter, afraid the King could smell his perverse desires for the princess and have him executed on the spot. He'd been on the run ever since. Eighteen months and he was stronger, more confident, frankly a much better sorcerer. And he still dreamt of Sofia almost every night.

In his dreams they had long conversations about nothing and everything. Sweet kisses. Passion that bloomed into hot, sweaty bliss. He'd thought that was enough to sustain him for a lifetime...dreams of her happy, and his. A situation that was impossible in the real world.

He knew that somewhere, somewhen she would be falling in love and would find true happiness with a proper prince and go on to have beautiful annoying little princelings that would cause endless trouble and joy. They would not have grey streaks in their hair or spout accidental magic at inappropriate times or love his mother's fly cakes. Sofia wasn't his. Her children would not be his heirs. He would have no one to take over the Family Wand. He accepted this.

But the story of Sofia falling victim to Auroras curse had crossed thousands of miles, and he'd heard it and knew in his bones it was true. His dreams had grown different, hazy. He'd searched for Sofia through thick fog, heard the sound of her tears. He'd been worried about her for weeks, and now he knew why.

He sprinted home as fast as he could, transporting when possible and trading epic feats of magic for fast steeds when he could not. In a week he was back in Enchancia, and under disguise. He heard the stories. Sofia had grown listless and sad for well over a year. Suitors had come and gone away disappointed. Just days after Prince James had been married to Princess Vivian, Sofia had gone into the garden to pick roses, and she'd pricked her finger on a thorn and collapsed in a sleep so deep none could wake her.

It was a risk for every royal, and Enchancia had been struck more than once by the Curse. Roland's own father had laid sleeping for a month before his love had been revealed by The Kiss. There was a tower built for the purpose on the very edge of the kingdom, far from any villages. The curse could spread you see, growing and growing until the entire kingdom could fall under the spell of sleep. So Sofia had been brought to the tower and sealed inside by the Three Fairies, who were far too familiar with this particular curse.

it had been almost three months since she'd fallen into slumber. Her family had all tried to kiss her, but it had no affect. Sofia was unexpectedly in love with someone - no one knew who, and so the love of a parent or sibling was not enough to break the curse. Every friend she had, and there were many, had tried, and Cedric boiled to think of so many kissing his beloved Sofia. But nothing had worked. Tomorrow, princes from across the world were going to try their hand...or their lips, at waking her and claiming her as their own. It was grotesque, something Sofia would have hated, but her family, nay, the Kingdom, was desperate for their heart back.

He'd easily gotten past the protective enchantments the Fairies had places on the tower, and he stood in the doorway to her lace-curtained bower, gazing down at the woman he loved for the first time in close to two years. She was a woman now, no girl. Long auburn hair spread out on her damask pillow, long eyelashes brushing against golden cheeks. Her features were more defined, her skin had become darker, more like her mother's, with all the time she spent in the sun. Her curves...no best not think of those, no matter how good they'd felt pressed up against him the last time she'd hugged him tight. She wore an embroidered royal blue robe, silver slippers on her dainty feet. They'd left her the amulet,which seemed to flare purple when he'd first walked into the room, but he could care less about its presence. The amulet and the power it promised was nothing. Not without her. She was everything lovely, from the tip of her toes to the tiny birthmark on her clavicle that he wanted to kiss.

He was terrified. Terrified that if he kissed her and she remained asleep, that he would have proof that her affection was a mere infatuation. It would break the illusions he'd lived with for years, a fantasy that some part of her would always love him. He was terrified that if he kissed her and it worked, that she would wake up and be angry at him for leaving and she would banish him from her life forever.

But for her, he could be brave. He brushed aside the wispy lace curtains and sat gingerly on the silken sheets beside her, studying her face, wondering if she was dreaming or simply trapped in unconsciousness. He picked up her hand, warm and alive but limp, lacking the unstoppable vitality that was pure Sofia. He bent closer, and her scent filled him with longing, memories of laughter and sweetness that made his heart ache. He licked his dry lips and then, determined, he pressed his lips to hers, filling his thoughts of her, of her smile, her bright eyes, the love that filled him every moment she was in his thoughts.

Nothing happened for a long moment, and he felt tears begin to gather in his eyes. He started to pull away, only to have a hand slide into his hair and pull him down to her, her lips opening and her sweet tongue escaping to lick against his lips. He opened his mouth in shock, only to have her invade and plunder, turning the kiss from sweet to sultry to searingly hot.

Before he quite knew what had happened, he was on his back among damask and silk, Sofia straddling his waist, his lips swollen and his trousers far too tight as she rose above him, her cheeks bright pink and happiness and hope in her eyes.

"Cedric, you came back!"

"Oh, Sofia…I…I couldn't stay away from you. Not if you needed me. You know you have me wrapped around your little finger."

Wormwood cawed long and loud from his perch on the window sill, and Cedric watched Sofia's eyes grow wide as she stared at his aged raven, hearing words he himself could only guess at from his long experience with Wormy's distinctive squawking.

"I've been asleep for months? Aurora's curse…that means…" she looked down at him with triumph and a little bit of mischief, "You love me, Mr. Ceeeedric?"

"Said-rick! Call me Said-rick. And yes, you impossible woman, I love you. I'm not worthy of you, and…"

She clapped a hand over his mouth, her brows furrowed into a classic look of Sofia irritation. "You are the greatest sorcerer in the world, Cedric. You are brave and smart and honorable - even if you didn't start off that way."

He raised an eyebrow and tried to reply but she kept her hand firmly over his mouth, and he actually felt himself grow even more aroused at her forcefulness. He swallowed thickly as she continued on, "But leaving me...why would you leave me if you loved me, Cedric?"

He looked down at her hand still covering his lips and she blushed softly and giggled, moving her hand away.

"You deserve all the very best things in life, Sofia. I thought that if I left, you would realize that I'm not a very good man, or a very good sorcerer, and you could fall in love with a proper prince and have the life you were meant to have."

She drew back and sat down hard, a rather painful experience given what part of his body was directly under her. He grunted and she crossed her arms, giving him a much more grown up version of the chastising stare that had made him be a better man since she had come into his life so many years ago.

"Sofia...please, I'm fifteen years your senior. I have no fame, no fortune...I'm just a perverse old man. How could you want me?" He reached up to brush a stray lock of hair over her ear, trying to resist letting his gaze drop to where her robe gaped open to reveal the very sheer fabric of her nightgown.

"Perhaps I simply like an ongoing project. I'll spend my whole life improving you." She poked the tip of his long nose with a finger. He opened his mouth in shock, and she swept forward, capturing his lips in another kiss. She broke away just as he tried to wrap his arms around her, and she held herself above him, her arms on either side of his head, her generous cleavage gaping wide just below his chin.

"Really, Cedric, I don't know why I love you. I thought it was a crush for the longest time...but it's never gone away. No prince could ever make my heart race and sneak into my dreams like you. You may not be perfect, but you are perfect for me." She smiled softly, that perfect Sofia smile that melted his heart. He let his hands rest on her hips and leaned upward to try and kiss her again when she giggled. "Besides, it's too late now. Can't you hear the bells?"

"Bells, what bells?" And then he heard them, bells in the distance. It may be the middle of the night, but all the bells in the kingdom were ringing. And the pattern...it wasn't an alarm, it was the song used on the occasion of a royal marriage.

"I read up about Aurora's curse a long time ago in one of your books, Cedric. If True Love's Kiss really works, then the couple is considered betrothed. In some countries they are already considered married."

"Married..." he muttered, shocked to his core. He was practically married to the nubile, impish, brilliant woman currently squirming around on his lap and rubbing back and forth in a most delicious manner.

"Sofia, stop that...I'm...if you keep that up I'm not sure that I can remain a gentleman."

"I didn't want a gentleman, I wanted a sorcerer. My slightly dark, slightly devious sorcerer who I am sure has a lot of evil plans in store for what to do with this sweet little royal bride."

She wiggled her hand up the sleeve of his tattered robes made of colorful patches of cloth. She pulled out his wand and turned toward the door,. "Portus impervius," she ennunciated decisively. Then she aimed at the fireplace and with a confident, "Incendio!" the room was filled with the warmth and light of a cheery blaze.

Merlin's mushrooms, she was sexy when spellcasting.

He was still held mute, watching her as she placed his wand gently on the table bed the bedside and knelt over him, shrugging her shoulders out of the heavy blue silk robe and revealing night attire that was a very innocent white lawn, but so sheer he could see far too much of her to resist temptation.

"There, now we shouldn't be bothered for a while, and we can have a nice discussion."

"Discussion?" he parroted, trying to keep his hands from slowly drifting up her body to cup dangerous parts of her anatomy.

"Yes, I think it is an excellent time to talk about books." He stilled his hands and she pushed them away, and he thought he really had gone too far, but she was soon pulling on the arms of his robes, pulling the garment off his shoulders and trapping his elbows in the endless yards of fabric. She gave up on that endevour, only to pull on the end of his purple bow tie...he was a sentimental fool, and reveal the skin of his neck.

"Books?" he croaked. Wormwood cawed once more and flew out the window, leaving Sofia to giggle in his wake. She leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss against his throat.

"I spent a lot of time keeping your tower spic and span, waiting for you to come back. And a read a lot of your books. spell books, potions books, philosophical tracts, and some very interesting illustrated manuscripts on the sensual arts you kept hidden under your bed." All this in a whisper against his heated skin as she moved up toward his ear.

"Ah, those books." he started to fight against the fabric keeping him prisoner until utterly frustrated.

Sofia sat up once more and began to play with the white ribbon bow holding the top of her gown together. "I'm afraid that my education has been very lacking, and I need some tutoring, Mr. Cedric. Who better to teach me than my very own betrothed?"

Magic spun out of him in a babble of syllables, and with an explosion of green sparks, his clothes disappeared entirely, only to reform in a bundle in midair and rain down on their heads.

Sofia giggled and plucked his trousers off her head, and he leaned upward, pulling her against his bare chest and kissing her soundly. He had every intension of continuing her education, and beginning his own practically experience on the subject.

Unfortunately the door began to ring with loud knocking. "Sofia! Sofia, are you there?" Prince James still had a voice loud enough to wake the dead.

He pointed a finger at the door, "Silencio maximus!"

"Oh, Cedric. You really are the greatest sorcerer when it counts!"


End file.
